Jacques Lacombe is the new music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Between opera performances in Berlin, Jacques Lacombe flew into Newark for a few hours two weeks ago to rehearse with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

Lacombe, who was working with the orchestra for the first time since being named music director-designate in October, clearly takes his new home at the podium seriously.

While his official tenure begins in the fall, his first NJSO concerts in the new role will take place Thursday through Sunday at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and the State Theatre in New Brunswick. The extra rehearsal, unusually far in advance, was just one indicator that Lacombe is about to be a very active, involved leader.

"I’ve always seen my role as a conductor as to be almost part of the orchestra," Lacombe says. "I am first, and above all, a musician."

Facing a $6.4 million debt, the NJSO —

the largest classical music organization in the state — would seem to need nothing short of a miracle worker who can fill seats and help raise funds.

In addition to conducting from the podium, as music director, he’s charged with determining concert programs and orchestra initiatives. He’ll also be the face and voice of the orchestra.

Having appeared only once with the NJSO, and in two Metropolitan Opera productions, Lacombe is little known in this country. He lacks the celebrity cachet of Gustavo Dudamel at the Los Angeles Philharmonic or the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Marin Alsop, the first "maestra" of a major orchestra.

At 46, he also doesn’t have the years of experience of his predecessor, Neeme Järvi, who turns 73 this year.

What he does have, however, is a sterling reputation as a conductor. Like the Minnesota Orchestra’s Osmo Vänskä, he may be able to raise the quality and profile of the NJSO largely by reinvigorating the classics. In his 2008 NJSO appearance, Lacombe’s interpretation of Orff’s "Carmina Burana" was described in The Star-Ledger as "a revelatory event."

Right now, Lacombe is focused on his artistic goals, although he does have some plans for fundraising. To help bring in new support, he may employ ideas similar to those he used as conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières in Trois-Rivières, Quebec — including a radiothon, an auction with prizes such as cello lessons from an orchestra member and concerts where listeners can sit in the orchestra and experience the music the way the performers do.

He acknowledges the challenge he faces in this area, but after meeting with orchestra partners, he appears unfazed. "You can’t just ignore them, because it’s a question of surviving here," he says, "but the signs we have are very, very positive right now."

As he begins to reveal his plans for the orchestra, Lacombe shows a sharp, intense focus, as well as a natural affability. And, after what was effectively day one on the job, the musicians were impressed.

"I was fascinated how he didn’t come in all warm and fuzzy," says concertmaster Eric Wyrick, a member of the search committee. "He was very clear in what he wanted, and he was also very clear if what he asked for wasn’t being produced."

Among Lacombe’s goals for the upcoming season is to build a signature sound for the orchestra, Wyrick says, "to have a style that we could say, ‘This is the New Jersey Symphony,’ in the way that the Vienna Philharmonic — considered one of the world’s greatest —

has certain distinctive characteristics."

"I think he’s hungry," Wyrick adds. "He wants to put his stamp on the orchestra. He’s really ambitious for us and for himself, and I think it’s exactly what we need."

"He’s an experienced musician but still a young conductor, so for me, it’s a winning combination," says NJSO president and CEO André Gremillet.

Lacombe first came to Gremillet’s attention when he was a professor and Gremillet was a student in Trois-Rivières. Gremillet followed Lacombe’s career for 15 years as he worked as principal guest conductor of the Montréal Symphony, and artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières.

He will continue with Trois-Rivieres while he leads the NJSO, with nine appearances in New Jersey next season and seven back in Quebec. To hold two jobs simultaneously is commonplace among conductors of his stature.

The conductor’s more than 20 years of podium experience cover vast terrain. After deciding to pursue a career in music as a teenager — his first dream was to work for NASA — Lacombe studied at the Conservatoire de Musique in Montreal and then at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna. While in Austria, he steeped himself in the traditions of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and the second Viennese school. In his conducting, he draws on elements of the French and German styles, and lessons learned from vocal music.

"Voice has always been an important part of my musical life," says Lacombe, whose musical study began with choral singing.

Lacombe’s programming for next season contains a few surprises — notably, an initiative to showcase New Jersey composers and a more interdisciplinary approach to the orchestra’s Winter Festival. Instead of focusing on a particular musical niche, like this year’s "Music of Italy," next year’s offerings will begin a multi-year exploration, "Man and Nature: Exploring the Elements in Music," with a focus on water. He also has spoken of a dedication to contemporary music. But none of his moves so far seem particularly bold.

"A symphony orchestra is like a big boat," he says. "You cannot take a corner like this" — he makes a swift, angular motion — "you have to take more care."

Before becoming NJSO music director, Lacombe knew little of New Jersey and of the orchestra. But getting to know the area is particularly important to Lacombe, for whom the idea of community is at the heart of music. He values a collaborative effort in perfecting the repertoire for each concert as well as in programming and logistical decisions.

"I think the very sense of the word ‘philharmonie’ is association of musicians," he says. "I’m in charge of the whole picture, but I’m not a control freak. Everything doesn’t have to be done one way, my way. I think musicians want to be more and more involved, and I find it to be nice."

Lacombe also will break the tradition in which music directors typically conduct only subscription concerts. He will lead each of the NJSO’s series, including the lower-priced "Best Of . . ." concerts of orchestral excerpts, the educational family concerts and pops concerts.

"I consider myself music director of all our audiences," Lacombe says. "That’s a way to build a bridge — someone can come to a pops concert and, if they like it, maybe they will come to hear a Beethoven symphony.

"I see the symphony orchestra as being a driving force of the musical scene," he adds. "We are sort of there to bring everybody together. The general feeling, I think, is that we are relevant and we are very well-supported. There’s this energy of making something special."